Despite all the headlines he's been getting lately, Rick Santorum's all-but-announced presidential run is going nowhere in the polls.

And there's more bad news for the former senator, who has staked out an aggressive and far-right position in a bid for ultra conservative primary/caucus votes. A big new CNN poll today also shows most Republican voters say the ability to beat Obama is more important to them than ideology. From the CNN story:

According to CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday, nearly seven out of ten Republicans say they would prefer a GOP presidential nominee who can top Obama in the next election, with 29 percent saying a nominee who agrees with them on every issue that matters the most is more important.

Here's how voters rank the big GOP names (via GOP12):

1. Mike Huckabee 21%

2. Sarah Palin 19%

3. Mitt Romney 18%

4. Newt Gingrich 10%

5. Ron Paul 7%

6. Haley Barbour, Mitch Daniels, and Tim Pawlenty 3%

9. John Thune, Rick Santorum, and Mike Pence 1%

Mike Pence has already dropped out of the race, and Thune is reportedly on the verge of doing same. Beating out Santorum in the poll is "Someone else" (5%), "None" (4%), and "No opinion" (2%).

So, a tough week for the former Penn Hills resident, who suffered through the Steeler loss. He told Roll Call recently that his 2006 rival Bob Casey should all but cruise to reelection next year:

Santorum, who is likely to seek the GOP presidential nomination, told Roll Call last week that 2006 was a “no-chance election” against an anti-abortion-rights Democrat who raised nearly $20 million in an anti-GOP wave year.

And while the political climate has changed dramatically, Santorum didn’t give the GOP a strong chance in 2012 either.

“Maybe,” Santorum said when asked if Casey is vulnerable. “There’s 1.2 million more Democrats than Republicans in the state of Pennsylvania, and the president is on the ballot. It’s a tough election cycle for Republicans.”